Process of refining natural-gas gasolene.



W. 0. SNBLLING. PROCESS 0F REFINING NATURAL GAS GASOLENE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1912.

1,056,845. Patena Mar. .25, l1913.

' y Be it known that I, WALTER 0. SNELLING, a citizen of' theUnited States,

25. l ture directly in the form-of a liquid gas in a closed vessel, the boiling points, or the limits of temperature at which each `ingre' vesses 'of Refining Natural-Gas Gasolene', of

`volatile ingredients. rlhus, .at high pres# of the ingredients are*` far more widely separated than. at low. pressures,

*approximating one atmosphere.

www@ STAM@ PAENT. ortica vmerNrA.

application mee January 29,1912. serial No. mense.

' waarna o. sNELLING, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, .AssIGNoR To AMERICAN Gasol. COMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,l A conPoaArroN on wESr Pnocnss or REFINNG Naruaaneas GasoLENn.

u Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Mars 25,1913.

To all whom t may concern.'

residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Procwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process for refining a mixture of condensable vapors or gases, suchas themixture of vapors or gases resulting froml the vaporization of what is known as natural gas gasolenef. This gasolene contains, in addition to the hydrocarbons, such as butane, pentane, hexane and heptane foundin ordinary gasolene, lighter hydrocarbons ofv the paraffinl series, such as ethane and propane, and it is the object of my invention to separate from the mixture of vapors or gases, these lighter hydrocarbons and to simultaneously `obtain fractions of higher boiling point and of more or less denite composition. v p

lt is a further object lof the invention to obtain the most volatile ingredient or-mixunder pressure. If a liquid containing several volatilizable. ingredients be vaporized dient will remain liquid, gradually rise as of the more volatile ingredients rising more rapidly thanthe boiling points ofthe less sure, by which I mean, even for liquids of low boiling point, a minimum ressure of two or three atmospheres, the boiling points such as those By my process, all-iquid containing several volatile ingredients is heated'to a tempera-` ture sufficient to completely volatilize 4allof the ingredients, the vapor-sor gases being. kept under maintained pressure,` the pres# sure being'so high that the boiling points of the several ingredients will befwidely separated, and then each in edient, or a fraction containing several ingredients, is se arately condensed, slightly below the boiling point, at the 'high at ja temperature v pressure to which the mixture is subjected, of that particular ingredient or fraction. i In the drawings-F1gure 1 is an elevation of the still; Fig. 2 is a section of one ofthe condensing sections; and Fig.3 is a section of the vaporizing portion of the still. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on plane 4-4 Vof Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a vertical section on plane 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is l'a' horizontal section,V I

The refining apparatus consists cfa va;

poriz'er A, and condensing sections B, C, D. The vaporizer- A'is heated by a steam c oil 1. The gasolene is admitted-through pipe 2, and is discharged through the lperforated spray ring 3 over coil 1. 4 is a Wooden lillmg piece. rlhe unvaporized` -residue of higher boiling point hydrocarbons, or unvolatilized ingredients are removed through pipe. l. Ip Y As will be apparent from Figs. 4.and 5, the base piece is provided with .a passage for gasolene, towhich' passagev pipe 2 is connected; with passages 63, 641:0 which the steam supply and discharge pipes 61 and assage (55,-. pipe 6 for discharging residual 62 are connected; and with av p connected to material.l

rIhe condensing sections B, C, D, are alilte in construction except that the upper section has an inwardly concayed v head )l-,fz boiler` plate. Y

Each ofthe lcondensing sections consists of a body portionvof Steel pipefhaving .screwed thereonv a top ring `7 andvbottom ring 8, each of cast iron andprovided with the necessary. bolt holes.. 9 are separating :pieces of cast iron forming the top of a. l-lwer section and the bottom of an upper section, each having passages 54, 55 therethrough to which are connected pipes 51, 52 for supplying and discharging cooling fluid;

. Tight joints are secured. providing .rings 11 to tinto corresponding Agrooves .a central passage 53, to 'which is connected s a pipe 13; and' a passage 56 for dellver-ing lthe condensateto the pipe 10.

-ller blocks, and are thus compelled 'to pass,i I

tion B, andover high pressure,

over the cooling coils. Each of the-various pipes referred to may be provided with such` cocks orvalves as arenecessary. Y,

In carrying out the process, the natural gas gasolene is sprayed over the coil 1, which is heated by superheated steam at a temperature suiicient to produce by the vaporization of the asolene a high pressure, say 900 lbs., throug out the apparatus.

The vapors prol uced in the vaporizer A pass upthrough pipe 13, into-condenser secthe coil 16 therein,'throughl which hot water is passing, and that portion of the mixture condensable at the pressure in the chamber and at vthe temperature of the coil, is condensed and passes out through pipe 10, to which is, of course, on-

nected a suitable delivery pipe.

The coil in the chamber C carries warm water and that in chamber D, Coldwater. f a

Fractions containing the hydrocarbons of higher boiling point will be condensed and collected from sect-ions Gand B; that from' section C may be gasolene of about 108",` and that from section B, gasolene of about 80. I do not wish 'to be understood as limiting the process to these particular qua1ities of product, as it is evident that byvarying thetemperatures of the cooling coils products of any desired degree may beobtained.

As the condensation is effected under very the temperatures of the cooling coils may be much higher? than those usedat atmospheric pressure, thus avoiding the inconvenience and expense due to thev use of such low temperature refrigerants as liquid amm0nia,cold 4water being Suthcient -to effect the condensation lof the ethane and propane inv the'upper section'ofthe'still,

from which there is directly obtained under high pressure a vliquefied gas, which collected in suitable receptacles.

The various liquids delivere may be in the art.

.- Witnesses d from' the-val rious pipes are'collectediinto suitable receptacles,'which it'is unnecessary to illustrate as the conditions required tol properly handle the materials will be obvious to those skilled I claim: p v 1. The process of separating by fractional or Ava ors which consists in subjecting' a heate mixture of such 'gases or vaporsun- `dei` pressure in' excess of two atmospheres to the condensing action of fa `series .of condensers, each of which smaintained at. aj temperaturejust below thefboiling po-int, at

the high pressureto a'hic'hl the mixture is subjected, of the constituentv condensed thereby.-y v i v 2. Theprocess of separating by fractional condensation the highly compressed heated vapors of natural gas gasolene which con- -condensation a mixture of condensable gases Y sists in subjecting such vapors under 'pres-i2 f sure in excess of two atmospheres to the con den'sing actionl of a series o (z'ondeii'sers,A each oi4 which is maintainedat a .tempera turevjust below the boiling point, at the highl pressure to which the jected, of the 3. The continuous process of refining vapors are sub-v v constituent condensed therebby. I

fractional 'condensation the highly com! pressed heated vapors'of natural` gas gasolene which consists -in continuouslyVv subjecting such vapors to ithe action of, a series of condensers, each of which is maintained at a temperature just below the boiling point, at the high pressure to which the mixture is subjected, of the constituents condensed thereb andA dense constituent.` l

In testimony wher in presence of two. witnesses.

WALTERLO," sNEfLLiNdf A. L. HYDE,

'ontinuously removing the con- 'aiix my signature' l 

